The Origin of the Name Kelian Intan in Hulu Perak
It is believed that tin mining here existed before 1689. Located in the Bintang Range and almost connecting to the Titiwangsa Range, tin mining operations here were based in the Gunung Paku area, which sits at an altitude of 2,200 feet above sea level.
For your information, loyal readers of orangperak.com, besides tin, Kelian Intan is also a historical site because this is where the first meeting between
Chin Peng
and Tengku Abdul Rahman Putra Al-Haj began. It is also believed that
Chin Peng
's mother also resided here. Today, nearly 8 communist tunnels have been discovered here, along with many other remnants from that era. This small village in Hulu Perak, populated by a Chinese community who were once tin miners, holds 1,001 stories that many people are unaware of.
There are many versions of the origin of the name Kelian Intan as told orally by the elders in the area. When we chat with the elders, the stories are always fascinating to listen to!
On July 16, 1909, during the
handover ceremony of the Reman district to the state of Perak
, the Hulu Perak district officer at the time, Hubert Berkeley, recounted that the original name of Kelian Intan was actually Kelian Hitam. The shift from 'Hitam' to 'Intan' occurred because the letter 'M' in the dialect of the Pattani Malays sounds like the letter 'N'. Thus, over time, the name changed from Kelian Hitam to Kelian Hitan, and eventually to Kelian Intan.
According to the
6th British Resident of Perak
, who was the son of the
first British Resident of Perak
named
Ernest Woodford Birch
, the account differs from the statement made by the Hulu Perak district officer at the time. According to
Ernest Woodford Birch
, records from Datuk Sri Adika Raja explain that the name Kelian Intan had indeed been used since the early discovery of the tin mine. Due to the local belief that diamonds (intan) existed in the mining area, the name of the area was elevated to Kelian Intan.
Furthermore, according to
Ernest Woodford Birch
in his reference to the writings of Raja Azman Raja Abdul Hamid, he explains that in the past, there was a Reman state dignitary named Wan Itam, and it is said that it was Wan Itam who opened the tin mine located near Gunung Paku. Since the tin mining area was opened by Wan Itam, the area was named Kelian Wan Intan, and over time it evolved into Kelian Intan, remaining so to this day. Citing stories from other sources related to the existence of the name and the Kelian Intan area, it is understood that at the end of the 18th century, Kelian Intan was located within the North Perak border, and this is where miners paid taxes to the Sultan's representative. Meanwhile, in Pattani, a member of the ruling family declared himself a powerful ruler in Northern Pattani and was famously known as the Raja of Reman.
In 1821, when the Siamese army launched attacks on Kedah and Perak, the Raja of Reman seized the opportunity to expand his empire's borders into the state of Perak, including the Kelian Intan mining area. This cunning ruler controlled the mines and enjoyed tax revenues for several years. The Kelian Intan area was officially declared part of the state of Perak in 1909 after the signing of the Bangkok Treaty between the Siamese government and the British on March 10, 1909. Before Kelian Intan officially became part of the state of Perak, there were several series of wars between the people of Perak and the Siamese government that claimed many lives.
Additionally, in Kelian Intan, there is a building called the Kelian Intan Town Committee. Once upon a time, this building held various historical events of great significance to the country. It is said that the first peace negotiations before the Baling Talks began here. This was also where soldiers gathered the bodies of fallen Communist guerrillas. However, those are stories of the past, and today this building has been turned into the Kelian Intan Central Market site by the Local Authority.
